kodamar
Well Known Member
I have long heard that 1963 Impala SS models can only be verified by the trim tag, NOT the VIN.
When I once questioned someone about an online listing where the seller wrote that "The VIN indicates this is a real SS", he sent me back a link to a different decoding website where the first numbers of the VIN "314" decodes to an Impala SS V8.
I double checked THIS website, and indeed if the digits "314" are selected, it decodes as "Impala SS V8". I had never noticed this before!
I have seen many, many '63 Impalas that I have KNOWN to be SS models, and the VIN of any 2-door hardtop V8 Impala, SS included, is ALWAYS "318", not "314". In fact, I have never seen a '63 Impala with the "314" VIN.
What's the deal with this?
When I once questioned someone about an online listing where the seller wrote that "The VIN indicates this is a real SS", he sent me back a link to a different decoding website where the first numbers of the VIN "314" decodes to an Impala SS V8.
I double checked THIS website, and indeed if the digits "314" are selected, it decodes as "Impala SS V8". I had never noticed this before!
I have seen many, many '63 Impalas that I have KNOWN to be SS models, and the VIN of any 2-door hardtop V8 Impala, SS included, is ALWAYS "318", not "314". In fact, I have never seen a '63 Impala with the "314" VIN.
What's the deal with this?